100 Years - Ch 1 - 15
by HoRnIe DeMoN
Summary: A couple of drabbles from Arthur's POV inspired by the Five for Fighting song: 100 Years. /tR-qQcNT fY
1. Chapter 1

**100 Years**

 **Authors Note** : A couple of drabbles from Arthur's POV inspired by the Five for Fighting song: 100 Years.

 **Ch. 1**

 **15**

 _I'm fifteen for a moment_ _  
_ _Caught in between ten and twenty_ _  
_ _And I'm just dreaming_ _  
_ _Counting the ways to where you are_

He was 15 when he first saw her. It was his birthday actually, and she brought him a gift. Well the gift was actually from his father, but ruling a kingdom meant he had little time to himself let alone time for his only son. It was early morning and he had been out on the training field, alone, practicing with dummies but his mind wasn't really on his practice. He was contemplating his life thus far. Arthur felt he was on the cusp on manhood, he was 15 now and no longer a boy. He would one day be king of Camelot. He hoped he would be a good king. He knew the people of Camelot respected his father, but they also feared him. King Uther could be harsh in his judgement but Arthur always thought his father was fair and knew he only did what he felt was right and necessary to maintain order. After all, the kingdom had been in chaos before his father took power, corrupt sorcerers abusing their power and oppressing and terrorizing those with out magic. Manipulating and deceiving good people…like his father and mother. Thanks to magic Arthur's birthday could never truly be a happy occasion because it was also the anniversary of his mother's death.

Arthur was so lost in thought he hadn't realized how hard he was hitting the dummy until it fell apart with his last blow. Yet, he continued his practice not even caring that all he was hitting was a wooden pole. He didn't notice the girl approaching.

"Excuse me… my lord." She spoke quietly, shyly, while looking at the ground.

Arthur didn't notice her. She cleared her throat and tried again a bit louder.

"My lord…? I was told to bring you this."

Finally Arthur was pulled out of his trance by a soft feminine voice, he turned around to see a petit girl, with maple skin and dark curls in a plain yellow dress.

"What do you want?" He asked rather curtly. When she didn't respond he practically barked. "Well spit out, I'm rather busy at the moment in case you hadn't noticed."

She looked up at him with a look of disapproval flashing briefly across her face before looking back at the ground.

"Y-yes sire, I – I was told to bring you this. It is a birthday gift from your father."

Her hands were behind her back and Arthur couldn't see what she was holding. He smiled as a thought came to him.

"What's your name?"

Again she didn't answer right away but just as he was about to ask again the words spilled out of her in a rush.

"Gwen- Guinevere, my name is Guinevere, sire"

Arthur appraised the girl in front of him. She was probably a few years younger than him, pretty, for a commoner. He wondered what delights she had hidden under that homespun dress. He smirked and said

"Are you my birthday present Guinevere?"

Her head shot up and anger flashed across her face and her voice must have risen an octave in pitch.

"I-NO! Ugh. How dare you? I-I would NEVER!"

Arthur's gaze turned dark as he took in her outrage and denial, was she insulted? He was the prince! How dare she refuse him! Who did she think she was?

"You dare refuse your prince?" He replied through gritted teeth.

Guinevere held her head high and jutted her chin defiantly.

"I don't care who you are, I am no man's whore!"

She took a deep breath to calm herself and brought the newly forged sword from behind her back. She dropped it unceremoniously on the ground at his feet. Then bowed and said with as much sarcasm and disdain she could muster.

"Happy Birthday your highness."

Then she turned on her heel and quickly walked away leaving a dumbfounded Prince Arthur in her wake.

For a few moments Arthur just stared after her, he didn't even notice the sword she had left for him. Finally he looked down and picked it up. He turned it over a few times to garner a feel for the weapon. It was incredibly light and longer than his old one. The extra length would take some getting used to. He brushed his fingers across the smooth surface and over the edge drawing blood. The blade was incredibly sharp. Over all it was exquisite craftsmanship. He would have to thank his father, and maybe see this blacksmith about making him some new armor.

Arthur began practicing lunges and parries. The piece was incredibly well balanced and Arthur became comfortable with it in no time. As he practiced his thoughts went back to the girl who had delivered it and her rudeness. What was he supposed to think when a pretty young maid approaches him talking about birthday gifts? It wasn't like he could see she was carrying a sword or any object for that matter! She should have been flattered. Any woman, especially a commoner would jump at the chance to bed a prince, especially one as handsome as him. The ladies at court – young and old –were constantly fawning over him and going on about how dashing and handsome he is. Arthur didn't doubt that he could bed any woman he wanted to when the time came. Although up until now he hadn't thought much of it. True he had overheard many of the older knights and some of the men in court discussing such things on a number of occasions but there hadn't been anyone yet to catch his eye in that manner. Sure there were many beautiful women at court but he couldn't just take one to his bed and be done with it. Court ladies were different, they would expect a marriage proposal or at least a promise of one, and he knew that his father would probably have something to say about whom he married. No, Uther would DEFINITLEY have something to say, after all whomever Arthur married would be the future Queen of Camelot. Marriage was not something to take lightly, and he hoped he had a few more years before his father began throwing women at him. Arthur knew he would have to marry someone who was good for Camelot, and knew that they might not love each other right away but hoped that they could grow to love each other and be good rulers to their people. Above all else he hoped she at least pretty. He didn't want to think of what he would do if his father forced him to marry an ugly princess… was there even such a thing as an ugly princess? Princesses were always beautiful in stories but that didn't mean it was always true in the real word. Who would dare speak ill of a princess for he would certainly lose his head… or at least his tongue.

This brought Arthur's mind back to the rude girl who had delivered his sword, should she be punished for speaking to him the way she did? If his father had witnessed their exchange the girl would certainly have ended up in the stocks if not in prison.

It was late morning by now and the training field had begun filling with knights preparing for their daily training. Arthur smiled as he realized that he would finally be allowed to train with the knights and he would finally have real opponents, no more play fighting with Morgana and having to take it easy because she was a girl. Arthur scowled remembering the time she actually beat him. He had been going easy on her, of course but she must have been practicing on her own because her skill had improved since he last fought her and she managed to catch him by surprise. Of course now she lorded it over his head every chance she got. Arthur truly couldn't wait to test his mettle against a real opponent.

He saw the other knights gather for practice and ran over to join them. Sir Ecter was leading practice today and began by welcoming Arthur to the group.

"Now then my lord, let's see what you can do. Leon, attack." The old knight commanded and Leon lunged at Arthur who parried and lunged back. They fought for a while and appeared to be evenly matched, despite Leon being a few years older and more experienced. Arthur had always trained harder than anyone. He felt as the prince he had to be the better than all his knights, the best in the kingdom, since he would be the one defending it one day. Leon slashed at Arthur's side and Arthur spun away just in time to avoid being hit. That was when he saw two familiar faces enter the training field. The first was his step-sister Morgana and behind her was the rude peasant girl from this morning. _What the hell is she doing back here?_ He thought then smiled _Maybe she reconsidered my offer from earlier…_

Before Arthur could continue that train of thought he was struck hard on the shoulder by Leon. He heard the other knights chuckle and try to cover their laughter in coughs but he had heard them. Sir Ecter approached and relieved Leon.

"Not bad Arthur m'boy. You did well, but you'll have to learn to ignore distractions, no matter how comely they may be." He gave Arthur a wink and returned to his charges.

Arthur ignored Sir Ecter and smiled at the approaching ladies.

"Have you come to apologize for your behavior this morning?"

Morgana tilted her head to the side and scowled at him. "Whatever are you talking about Arthur? I never apologize, especially to you."

Arthur scowled, "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to _her._ " The word _her_ was filled with derision.

"What on earth did Gwen do?" Now Morgana was on the defensive, she may have only just met Gwen but they were already becoming good friends. Morgana hadn't like any of her previous maids, they were nice enough to her face but would say nasty things and spread rumors behind her back. Gwen, after a week of service had been nothing but kind and loyal. Morgana couldn't imagine the girl had a mean bone in her body. Then again she also knew that Arthur Pendragon often brought out the worst in people. He could be such a bully!

Arthur could tell Morgana was in one of her moods and if he explained what transpired earlier she would probably go running and tell his father who would demand the girl be punished but Morgana would fight tooth and nail to keep it from happening and Arthur would end up getting blamed for everything. Uther had a soft spot for Morgana and often gave into her with little hesitation.

"Never mind that, what is she doing here?"

Morgana looked at him as if he had just asked her 'what color is the sky? Or some other equally obvious question. She answered him anyway.

"She's my maid, she goes where I go."

Arthur groaned. He'd heard Morgana had a new maid and he had yet to meet her. This was just great. Now they would likely cross paths very often, so much for forgetting about this morning's interaction. Maybe his father would finally allow him to go out on patrols, then he wouldn't have as many opportunities to run into her since he would be away from the castle regularly.

Little did Arthur know how different his thoughts of Gwen would be in just a few short years.

 **Author's Note:** So what do you think? Did I do okay getting into Arthur's head? These drabbles are kind of AU they won't really follow the series. Each chapter will be Arthurs POV and his thoughts on his life at different intervals. I was listening to the song 100 years by five for fighting, if you don't know it look it up. It's really good, and can be interpreted in many different ways. I will include an excerpt from each verse in the beginning of each chapter, there will only be 5 or 6 chapters. If it seems like rambling at times, I apologize but I was kind of going for that because we can't always control the speed and direction our thoughts take. I would love to hear thoughts and opinions especially if you're a fan of the song, then tell me if I've captured the right essence or meaning that the writers were trying to convey. I love feedback, it's like chocolate to me, makes me super happy and I can't get enough lol!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Much thanks to all of you who've read and reviewed chapter 1! I'm finally continuing this. It's a bit harder to get into Arthur's head but I hope I do justice to the character. This chapter will try to fit into cannon somewhat. It will describe how Arthur and Gwen's relationship has developed over the years and end in season 3 with "the Queen of Hearts" Again these short stories are inspired by the song "100 years" by Five for Fighting, if you haven't heard it give it a try! I hope you enjoy, please review, I love hearing your thoughts!**

 _I'm twenty two for a moment_ _  
_ _She feels better than ever_ _  
_ _And we're on fire_ _  
_ _Making our way back from Mars_ _  
_

_Fifteen there's still time for you_ _  
_ _Time to buy and time to lose_ _  
_ _Fifteen, there's never a wish better than this_ _  
_ _When you only got hundred years to live_

Years passed and the pretty maid who caught Arthur's eye grew into a beautiful young woman. Although her beauty was often shadowed by ill fitting, poorly made servant's garb Arthur came to see her as a noble, spirited beauty. He wasn't sure if she was always outspoken or if it was a habit she picked up from Morgana who certainly never hesitate to speak her mind. The difference being that Morgana had no need or desire to apologize for offending someone where as it was extremely improper for a servant like Gwen to speak her mind to anyone above her station let alone a prince! But Arthur valued her opinion and insight into the burdens of commoners, something he never could relate to or understand. Arthur wanted his people's love and respect, his father had their respect but also their fear. Arthur didn't think a kingdom should live in fear of their monarch, a King should look out for the wellbeing of _all_ his people, not just those who have wealth and connections.

He learned that from Guinevere whenever she lost her temper with him for acting like a spoiled prat his servant Merlin always said he was. Gwen was quite adorable when she was angry with him. She often realized her blunder quickly and apologized humbly with a "please forgive me My Lord! I didn't mean to offend, it was not my place…" That was Guinevere always so proper. Arthur found it frustrating at times as he tried to bridge the barrier between their classes and get to know her and her him.

He had truly fallen for her when she'd granted him the use of her home during a tournament. Arthur was convinced that his fellow knights were holding back against him, allowing him to win or trying _not_ to hurt him because he was their prince. Arthur wanted to be the best, he felt he needed to be the best and better than the best if he were to lead his men into battle, but how was he supposed to know his true skill if his opponent's wouldn't truly challenge him? So he decided to go undercover and told his father he would be investigating rumors of bandits near the border and unable to participate in the tourney. Meanwhile he stayed with Guinevere in her small house in the city and participated in secret under the name of Sir William of Daira.

Arthur and Gwen were at odds with each other the entire time. He had been miserable because her small bed and thin mattresses barely supported his larger bulk and she sullen for not having a bed to sleep in at all. When Gwen finally unleashed her frustration with him calling him rude and ungrateful Arthur felt thoroughly chastised. He tried to make it up to her with dinner and even offered to cook only realizing much too late that he had no idea how to cook. Then she got upset when she discovered he had food brought down from the castle and hadn't told her. He told Gwen he cared about her and was trying to do something nice but she only sighed in frustration at his lack of understanding but when he insisted she take the bed that night – he'd discovered earlier that she'd been sleeping on the floor- she thought maybe, just maybe there was hope for him yet. The next morning was the final match of the tourney and they had just found out that an assassin was after Arthur causing Gwen to worry for his safety. She wished him luck and offered him a token trying to hide her nerves, especially when Arthur had this far off dreamy look in his eyes that filled her with butterflies as he softly gazed down at her. All Arthur could think about was how beautiful she looked in the early morning light and how touched he was by her gesture after the way he'd behaved. Then without thinking he leaned forward and kissed her! It was a sudden passionate kiss that took Guinevere completely by surprise, she reacted purely out of natural instinct pressing her lips back against his. For Arthur it seemed to last forever, for Gwen it was over too soon.

Although they both knew nothing could ever happen between them it was difficult to keep these new feelings from growing and taking root. It was almost as if something greater than themselves was pushing them together. Neither went out of their way to see the other yet they were constantly running into each other and Arthur couldn't help but sneak sideways glances at her from across the room or down the hall. He would refuse refills from Merlin at dinner only to ask Gwen to fill his cup a moment later just so he could be close to her for a moment, to inhale her sweet honeyed scent, a scent that haunted him night and day.

King Uther was beginning to push Arthur towards marriage, insisting that he needed to secure a strong alliance with a neighboring kingdom through marriage but Arthur didn't want to marry someone he didn't love let alone someone he didn't even know. Arthur couldn't keep his thoughts from turning to Gwen anytime marriage was brought up even though he knew his father would never understand let alone approve of such a relationship. Arthur supposed if he had to marry he could probably take a mistress, many married nobles did so since marriage was more of a political tool to garner powerful allies and wealth; it rarely had anything to do with love. Arthur loved Guinevere and knew she deserved better than to be a mistress to some pompous prince; she deserved love, and a husband who was devoted to her, not someone who could only be with her in secret. So even though it was difficult Arthur knew it was better for both of them if he kept his distance but try as he might he just couldn't. Especially when she did something as foolish as running to the end of the square to get fresh water for those injured and dying from the dragon that was attacking the city! There was a brief lull when the dragon had passed the city and was turning around to make another go at it when Guinevere made a run for the well. As she began making her way back with a bucket full of water the dragon made another pass. Arthur's blood turned to ice and the color drained from his face as the dragon's jaws opened to unleash a blast of fire upon the square. Gwen didn't even notice as she was trying not to spill a drop of the water. Arthur moved like lighting running after his beloved and threw himself at her just before the flames would have scorched her! Guinevere was quite surprised by the desperate concern she saw in the prince's eyes since earlier that day he had rather coldly put an end to their tentative relationship. Later, as she was cleaning his wounds Arthur offered an apology and promised that things would be different when he was King, if she was willing to wait…however long that might be.

And so they waited, patiently but still finding ways to spend a few brief moments together here and there. Occasionally merlin would ask her to pick up some of his chores such as laundering Arthur's clothes or taking him his meals, claiming to be busy with helping the court physician whom he apprenticed. After Morgana disappeared Gwen didn't have much to do anyway and was glad for the extra tasks, not to mention it allowed her a few stolen moments with Arthur. But stolen they were and both often thought of the years spent in mutual dislike and wondered how different things might be now if they'd discovered their feelings sooner. In reality they both knew it wouldn't have been any different, just more waiting and sneaking and broken promises… but maybe they would have run away together, found a remote village where no one knew he was the prince of Camelot. He could be a simple farmer, Gwen would sew and mend clothing. Life would be peaceful and they could just be together.

A/N" Sooo… thoughts? Would love to hear feed back. I know this was mostly just recap, some facts may be slightly different from the show but this is slightly AU. The next chapter things will pick up and go totally AU since Arthur will be 33 and I don't think he lived that long in the show. This will have a happy ending for the once and futures! Also some domestic bliss! Please review, it boosts my confidence and makes me want to write more! :D


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